Mountain States Telephone & Telegraph Co. v. Pueblo of Santa Ana
472 U.S. 237 · Decided June 10, 1985 · Supreme Court of the United States
Record summary. This page is generated from the Supreme Court Database’s coded data about the case. It describes who decided what, not the Court’s reasoning. Read the opinion itself before relying on it. Not legal advice.
At a glance
Mountain States Telephone & Telegraph Co. v. Pueblo of Santa Ana was decided on June 10, 1985 by a vote of 5–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice John Paul Stevens wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Indians (general)” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 472 U.S. 237 · 105 S. Ct. 2587 · 86 L. Ed. 2d 168 · 1985 U.S. LEXIS 93
- Docket number
- 84-262
- Decided
- June 10, 1985
- Argued
- February 20, 1985
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–3
- Majority opinion
- John Paul Stevens
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Indians (general)
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- 43 Stat. 641
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Did not participate: Lewis F. Powell Jr..
Full case caption
Mountain States Telephone & Telegraph Co. v. Pueblo of Santa Ana
SCDB identifiers: case 1984-119, docket 1984-119-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Indians (general)”
- Kerr-McGee Corp. v. Navajo Tribe of Indians
- United States v. Dann
- United States v. Dion
- United States v. Mottaz
- Escondido Mutual Water Co. v. La Jolla Band of Mission Indians
- Merrion v. Jicarilla Apache Tribe
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Trans World Airlines, Inc. v. Thurston
- Alexander v. Choate
- Brandon v. Holt
- United States v. Dann
- Ake v. Oklahoma
- National Association for the Advancement of Colored People v. Hampton County Election Commission
Source: Supreme Court Database, 2026 Release 01 (data file dated September 8, 2026). Imported into CaseTrail November 5, 2026. Coverage: decisions from the 1946 through 2025 Terms. Methodology · Report an error